§16. _Veteribus_: Bentley's em. of MSS. _vetera_: C.F. Hermann (Schneid _Philol._ VII. 457), thinking the departure from the MSS. too great, keeps _vetera_ and changes _incognita_ into _incondita_, comparing _De Or._ I. 197, III. 173. A glance, however, at the exx. in Forc. will show that the word always means merely "disordered, confused" in Cic. The difference here is not one between order and no order, but between knowledge and no knowledge, so that _incognita_ is far better. I am not at all certain that the MSS. reading needs alteration. If kept the sense would be: "but let us suppose, for sake of argument, that the doctrines of the ancients were not _knowledge_, but mere _opinion_." The conj. of Kayser _veri nota_ for _vetera_ (cf. 76) and _investigatum_ below, is fanciful and improbable. _Quod investigata sunt_: "in that an investigation was made." Herm. again disturbs the text which since Madv. _Em._ 127 supported it (quoting _T.D._ V. 15, Liv. XXXV. 16) had been settled. Holding that _illa_ in the former sentence cannot be the subj. of the verb, he rashly ejects _nihilne est igitur actum_ as a dittographia (!) from 15 _nihilne explicatum_, and reads _quot_ for _quod_ with Bentl. For the meaning cf. _T.D._ III. 69 and Arist. on the progress of philosophy as there quoted. _Arcesilas Zenoni ... obtrectans_: see n. on I. 34. These charges were brought by each school against the other. In Plutarch _Adv. Colotem_ p. 1121 F, want of novelty is charged against Arcesilas, and the charge is at once joyfully accepted by Plut. The scepticism of Arcesilas was often excused by the provocation Zeno gave, see Aug. _Contra Acad._ II. 14, 15 and notes on fragm. 2 and 35 of the _Academica Posteriora_. _Immutatione verborum_: n. on I. 33. This phrase has also technical meanings; it translates the Greek τροποι (_Brut._ 69) and αλληγορια in _De Or._ II. 261, where an ex. is given. _Definitiones_: n. on 18. _Tenebras obducere_: such expressions abound in Cic. where the New Academy is mentioned, cf. 30 (_lucem eripere_), _N.D._ I. 6 (_noctem obfundere_) Aug. _Contra Ac._ III. 14 (_quasdam nebulas obfundere_), also the joke of Aug. II. 29 _tenebrae quae patronae Academicorum solent esse_. _Non admodum probata_: cf. the passage of Polybius qu. by Zeller 533. _Lacyde_: the most important passages in ancient authorities concerning him are quoted by Zeller 506. It is important to note that Arcesilas left no writings so that Lacydes became the source of information about his teacher's doctrines. _Tenuit_: cf. the use of _obtinere_ in _De Or._ I. 45. _In Aeschine_: so Dav. for the confused MSS. reading. For this philosopher see Zeller 533. As two MSS. have _hac nonne_ Christ conj. _Hagnone_ which Halm, as well as Baiter takes; Zeller 533 seems to adopt this and at once confuses the supposed philosopher with one Agnon just mentioned in Quint. II. 17, 15. There is not the slightest reason for this, Agnon and Hagnon being known, if known